Thursday, March 31, 2016

Earlier this year, the International Cryptozoology Museum (ICM) announced a new association, a subset of the ICM, the International Cryptozoology Society (ICS).

The society will publish a peer reviewed journal and conduct other activities in order to promote the field of Cryptozoology.

Dr. Paul LeBlond, a specialist in marine cryptids, has been named the organization's first honorary president.

According to Loren Coleman's site, Cryptozoonews, the ICS will offer a range of benefits to members:

"Besides the certificate of membership, the member card, the journal, newsletters, annual conferences, special events, online gift store discounts, the active involvement of members via visits, giftstore discounts, and communication with the International Cryptozoology Museum is a real part of being a member of the International Cryptozoology Society."
For further details on this exciting new organization, including membership options, check the link below.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

It's happened again. A strange image gone viral on the Internet, this time of a more sinister nature.

We've all heard the reports over the years. The image of the Virgin Mary spotted in a cheese sandwich, the face of Jesus seen in peeling paint or a slice of toast.

Inevitably, the faithful deem it a sign heavy with religious implications and skeptics announce that it's more pareidolia. (For those unfamiliar with the term it's defined as "as psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (image or sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists)."

If spiritual figures are being seen in such manifestations, should we be surprised that their evil counterparts are also making appearances?

During Easter week when tens of thousands were focused on the Christian holiday, Satan himself made his presence known--in a cut of prime rib.

On the Wednesday just before Good Friday, a photo of the steak started trending online when it was posted by a Mexican media outlet. The picture, reportedly taken in La Paz in Baja, California, depicts the cut of meat and what many see as an image of the devil himself complete with horns and glaring red eyes.

The steak is believed to have come from the SuKarne company, Mexico's largest meat processor although they did not respond to the attention the steak received.

The Daily Mail states that a lot of flak fell on the butcher responsible for making the cut with reports that he was "mocked by his workmates," A local paper even questioned whether he had performed a satanic ritual to make the steak come out with Satan's image in it.

Media outlets questioned the photo asking if people thought it was good advertising for the company in the midst of Holy Week.

So, devilish pareidolia? A cursed cut of steak? The meat from a possessed cow? Check out the photo and decide for yourself. And remember, you might want to keep your eyes open the next time you're tossing something on the grill, who knows what you'll see in those flames.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Thornhaven Manor in New Castle was another stop on the SOS Indiana tour.

Thornhaven was built on farmland in 1845 in the classic Italian style. It's amazing how solid the house is, the walls are thick and the floors don't creak much despite the home's age. While it is in great need of repair, the current owner is taking steps to bring this historical building back to life.

Over the years, Thornhaven was owned by wealthy families, was a stop on the Underground Railroad and was the focal point of a murder conspiracy. There are also connections to the Civil War with members of some families dying on the battlefield during the war, and, some strange WW2 connections.

The home also has an extensive basement, with ten rooms. Unusual for the time period, but possibly connected to the Underground Railroad or other activities.

SOS's investigation of the home was quite an experience. Audible voices and sounds project from different parts of the home at the same time.We experienced a strange red light anomaly that manifested independently and under obvious intelligent direction. Spirit boxes were very active, we experienced electronic issues, and investigator Dave Spinks was attacked.We also had a chance to investigate in the basement, something few have done, and had German voices coming over the ghost box. Interestingly enough, the current owner discovered Nazi propaganda in the basement when he was cleaning. Another Thornhaven secret?Be sure to like Thornhaven's FB page to keep up on developments of this historic property:https://www.facebook.com/ThornhavenManor/timeline
We did livestream some of the investigation. Look for more footage to be available in the future both on DVD and our YouTube channel.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

When I have time on my travels, I like to check out local ghost tours. They're a lot of fun, and, if it's a decent tour, you get to hear some good old fashioned ghost stories. Of course, my mind always races with the possibility of returning to some of the more interesting sties for dedicated investigations.

Recently, while spending some time in Nashville, TN, I had the chance to take the Haunted Downtown Nashville tour.

It's a walking tour, about 90 minutes long, and it hits some of the highlights of the very haunted "music city."

Nashville's Haunted State Capitol Building

The tour is run by Nashville Ghost Tours, a company with 13 years in the business, so they've got this down pretty pat. The guide on the night I took the tour happened to be the company's owner, and he had a rich knowledge of haunted locations in the city, both those on his tour and others that weren't.

The walking tour itself included the State Capitol building, the famous Ryman Auditorium and printers alley, site of a famous murder case.

I enjoyed this tour, it has a relaxed, even pace, and there's time for photo ops at the various locations.
The company also runs a haunted hearse and a haunted tavern tour which, unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to do this time around.

Tours run all week but often sell out, so if you're in town, be sure to snag some tickets.

Friday, March 25, 2016

I've spent a lot of time in Maryland over the years, it's a state rich in history, folklore and of course, one of my biggest interest, ghosts.

I always try to grab titles that cover weirdness in the state, and recently, I had the pleasure of reading Mike Ricksecker's book on the topic, aptly titled "Ghosts of Maryland."

Ricksecker doesn't cover every haunted spot in Maryland, that would of course take volumes. He does however, do an excellent job of hitting a lot of the highlights. He weaves in just enough history of the individual sites to bring anyone unfamiliar with the area up to speed, and he ably blends in the accounts of ghostly manifestations.

I was particularly interested in the author's experience while at the Samuel Mudd house. For those not familiar with the name, Mudd was the physician who treated Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth during his flight across the Maryland countryside. There have long been reports of the Mudd home being haunted, and Ricksecker stopped in to have a look for himself.

Mike covers other interesting sites such as the Mount Airy Plantation, Surratt House and Tavern and Lilburn Castle.

The back half of the book is devoted to a handy "Haunted Atlas of Maryland" that's broken down by county proving that there is indeed something weird in every corner of the state.

Pick this one up if you're interested in Maryland specifically or ghost in general. It's certainly earned a spot on my shelf. The atlas alone makes it a great reference book, but you'll enjoy the read too.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Wonders in the Sky by Jacques Vallee and Chris Aubeck was originally published by Tarcher/Penguin press in 2010. Subtitled "Unexplained Aerial Objects from Antiquity to Modern Times," the book is an amazing catalog of strange sightings from early periods of recorded history, up through the nineteenth century.

Vallee is certainly no stranger to the field of UFOs. He's the author of numerous classic studies in the field including the ground breaking "Passport to Magonia" published in 1969.

Vallee is one of the biggest influences on my personal pursuit of the strange, and I believe his work is essential reading.

Wonders in the Sky became an instant classic when it was released, but now, it's getting a major upgrade. Vallee and Aubeck are releasing a very limited, special edition of the book. Has noted on the indiegogo page:

"Wonders in the Sky is a collector's limited edition book by world-leading UFO researchers Jacques Vallée and Chris Aubeck, which presents the scientific research and artistic beauty of 424 UFO sightings prior to the Industrial Revolution. This is the new benchmark in UFO research.Under our contract with the initial publisher of the paperback edition of Wonders in the Sky (Tarcher-Penguin) we have agreed no more than 500 copies of this exceptional, Limited Edition will ever be printed.The text has been augmented with many new cases, a new round of analysis of all previous cases, and stunning new iconography in high-resolution color."
This limited edition is signed and numbered and in a slipcase. It comes with some other special gifts, all listed on the webpage below.
There's only 15 days remaining to grab a copy of this premium edition, act now while you have the chance.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

In the last few years, there's been a growing interest in "Dogman" sightings around the country.
The creature is actually nothing new. Author Linda Godfrey, one of the leading experts in the field has written several books on the topic including her excellent work "The Michigan Dogman."

Currently, we seem to be going through a period of high dogman activity and reports are cropping up from all over the place; Maryland, Tennessee, Wyoming, the list goes on. There's a bit more consistency in recent reports, and the creatures are most often described as what many of us would call a werewolf. Bipedal, canine beasts that are terrifying in appearance and frightening to encounter.

A witness from Wyoming recently stated:

"I never, never believed in this kind of thing, but I can't deny what I saw. It looked like a wolf man from the movies. It was over 6 feet tall, and it turned and growled at us. It wasn't a mask or suit, I've been a hunter for 20 years, I know animals. This thing was real and we got the hell out of there quick as we could."

But dog like creatures have a rather diverse history and sometimes, they don't exactly look like Hollywood werewolves. Case in point, in 2004, there was a rash of encounters with creatures with dog like features south of the border. These reports were recorded by Scott Corrales's Institute of Hispanic Ufology:

July 6, 2004

Juan Roberto Pereira reports that he was walking home one evening when he was attacked by two beings that resembled dogs with wings. He suffered wounds on his arms, chest and legs and remarked how tremendously strong the creatures were. He said he only escaped death or serious injury by jumping into the water of a canal. The creatures were obviously afraid of water and he watched as they flew away.

July 10, 2004

A worker at a fruit packaging plant in Curico, Chile reported that two strange creatures with wings attacked his delivery truck. The driver described the creatures as looking like ear-less dogs with wings. He also mentioned their sharp teeth and claws. Researchers looking into the incident found large animal prints that they believed could be linked to a "feline-type animal that walks on two legs and is able to fly."

August 5, 2004

Six members of the Albett de la Torre Diaz family were driving in their car when they came face to face with four creatures they described as "dog-faced kangaroos" that flew slowly through the air. Carols said the creatures reminded him of gargoyles. All agreed that the beasts were about 2 meters in height. Carlos said the creatures were leaping and flying low in front of his vehicle. He said he was driving nearly 100 kph and the creatures were flying right alongside. Once in city limits the creatures eventually flew away.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Animal Planet's number one show, River Monsters, returns for a new season on April 7th.

This time around, host Jeremy Wade is heading away from his normal inland haunts and out to the vast oceans searching for legendary aquatic creatures like the striped marlin, sea serpent and a deep sea "devil."

Wade hasn't been shy about investigating cryptids, having spent time at Loch Ness in a previous episode, trying to get to the bottom of the Nessie legend.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Recently, the Society of the Supernatural investigated the Randolph County Infirmary in Winchester, Indiana.

The Infirmary was established in 1899. The land has been the site of a hospital, poor farm and long term care facility. Over the course of time, many people died at the location from various illnesses, suicide and murder.

The building sat vacant for many years but it was recently purchased from the county and the new owner now allows ghost hunts to take place on the property. SOS is one of only a handful of teams to investigate this historic building.

The Infirmary was also recently featured on an episode of Nick Groff's new show, Paranormal Lockdown.

We livestreamed a portion of the investigation of this massive building and more footage will be available in the future.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Recently, I joined hosts Rosemary Ellen Guiley and George Lopez for their show, A New World Awakening. Great hosts and a fantastic show, check it out for our wide ranging, two hour conversation. Rosemary's a good friend and one of the most knowledgeable people in the field. George is a great host and asks deep questions so we went beyond the Q&A that's typical. Really enjoyed my time on their program.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Friday, March 11, 2016

It was March 2011 when the Fukushima nuclear power plant began to collapse. An unprecedented disaster that dwarfed the famous Chernobyl disaster of 1986.

It's been five years since Fukushima. Governments and the mass media would prefer that we all forget about the incident. Questions are dismissed with an affirmation that "everything has been taken care of," but has it? What's the continued fallout that we all have to deal with, and what are the long term implications?

Read more in my new article in this month's PP&S News Magazine available at:

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Recently, I've received a curious report out of the Four Corners region involving a strange creature. I'll be posting more details on the case as they become available, but so far, the bare bones of the account reminds me of a previous incident covered by Crypto Four Corners. Their video of that investigation is included below.

The case was also written up online, here's a brief synopsis:

"A New Mexico family has reported that 'something' has been lurking around their home at night. The incidents have been occurring at what is called the "Four Corners" section of the country where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico touch.The family says they have experienced loud clawing sounds and growls in the middle of the night. Both the exterior of their house and truck have been damaged. Deep claw and chew marks can be seen in the above photo of the truck headlight housing and grill. Similar muddy claw marks have been made to the house as well.What makes this case so strange are the descriptions of the creature that the family says is responsible. Eyewitnesses say what they saw reminded them of the creature from the horror movie "Jeepers Creepers." One eyewitness said he observed the being while it was sitting on the ground. It was covered in gray hair and had huge three-fingered hands. The torso to head height of the being; while sitting, was about 5 feet, which would make the creature 8 to 9 feet tall when standing. The eyewitness also said he noticed what he thinks were wings on its back and believes it could be capable of flying. Investigators said this could explain the odd and random patches of broken and trampled corn in an adjacent field."

naturalplane.com Sept 25, 2012

The crew from C4C dubbed this thing the "night stalker" due in part to its nocturnal visits. While many people assumed that this was some type of Sasquatch encounter, there are too many aspects to the case that don't line up with a typical Sasquatch.

Has this same "night stalker" returned to the four corners region? The latest report that I've received also note a creature with three claws and gray hair. It will be interesting to see if more develops from this story.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Last night I joined Jason Hawes and JV Johnson in the third hour of their show, Beyond Reality Radio, for a chat about black eyed children. Check it out in the show archives available at the link below.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Yesterday I posted the story about a reportedly haunted bible up for sale on eBay. The item had been listed for some time and the story was even covered by a UK newspaper.

Curiously, just after my posting about the item, it was removed from the site and listed as no longer available. Obviously it wasn't sold on the auction site so the state of the item is a mystery.

Perhaps even more curious however, is that yet another purportedly haunted bible has now been listed for sale. It's owned by a different seller and this one is in Geneva, Switzerland. The buy it now price is set at US $10,999.00.

Whereas the previous bible was supposed to have spirit attachments that caused poltergeist activity, this one has a "legendary" connection to exorcisms.

The item's seller says that the bible is from the 18th century and carries the signature of Pope Pius VI. According to the listing, the bible was used to conduct over 500 exorcisms, some of which led to the death of the individual involved. The eBay page states:

"In 1857th Archbishop Giovacchino Limberti (in Florenze, Italy) began to use this holy book in rituals of exorcism, religious process of removing demons, evil spirits and obsession with the devil from a person or an area they are believed to have possessed.Archbishop Giovacchino Limberti died 1874th and after him, Archbishop Eugenio Cecconi (in Florenze, Italy) continued to use this holy book in rituals of exorcism for next 13 years.Legend says, this holy book been used in over 500 cases of exorcism and a lot of people died during exorcism processes."

Like yesterday's listing, It seems that the current owners of this bible are also anxious to be rid of the cursed item right away. Note that the rough English is due to an obviously non-native speaker:

"This holy book has been archived and stored in treasury of Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (Florenze, Italy) and was stored there until 1931th when was bought by family Williamson, american tourists, through Church public auctions . One years later, Mrs.Charles Williamson had a terrible and unexplained experiences with fire (spontaneous combustion) and after that holy book was sold to family of our client, old and very rich Italian family from Trieste (Italy) !

After few days, in their house were happened very strange and inexplicable "things". Screams and very strange sounds were came at night from home library, where holy book was stood. After family holiday, they came back home and found a book on the floor, book was opened on page 66. During family holiday no one, absolutely nobody did not have access in house !!

After that experience, they were left book in the family safe deposit box at ZKB BANCA DI CREDITO COOPERATIVO in Trieste (Italy)

Parents of our client died couple years ago and he don't want this book in his home and now he want to sell this holy book !!"

Once again, we'll see if anyone jumps at this bargain. Check it out below while it's still online:

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

It's amazing to watch the paranormal related items that come up for sale on eBay. A while back, it was a piece of a computer label purported to have belonged to self proclaimed time traveler John Titor. That item had the low opening bid of ten grand, with a buy it now option of fifty thousand. You may be shocked to know that the item didn't sell. I covered the full story previously:

Now on offer (from a different seller) is a haunted Bible from the UK. The bible reportedly creates havoc and poltergeist activity wherever it is kept and the buyer is "desperate" to be rid of the cursed book.

The previous owner of the bible claimed that in the middle of the night, spirits attached to the item drug her down a flight of stairs by her hair, causing numerous bruises. Phantom footsteps and slamming doors and cupboards are also common activity when the book is around.

The bible was left in a vacant house in Harrington, Workington for several years while the current owner and his wife lived in the United States. Upon returning to England and a house in Cumbria, the man retrieved the bible and decided to sell it.

According to UK paper, The News & Star:

The seller, freddy1eagle on eBay who wanted to remain anonymous, has already rejected an offer of £50,000 because he thinks it is worth more.

He said of the price: “It’s mainly because of the attachment of the spirit to it because I know there are people who are interested in these things and there are cults who want to use them for their own purposes.”

The book is a regular Bible with a number of both color and black and white plates. The listing states that the item dates back to the 1800s.

The seller says that the bible is so dangerous that it's now kept in an empty room of his local church until he can sell it. He takes no responsibility for any ghostly activity that may occur for new owners.

The starting bid for this haunted item? A mere $180,000.00 US. Not sure if that's considered a bargain or not, but will the steep price keep any creepy cults from buying it? Let's see if it fares any better than the Titor computer label.

About Me

David Weatherly is a paranormal investigator and author. For 40 years he has explored the world of the strange, investigating cases around the country and abroad. He has written and lectured on a diverse range of topics including Cryptozoology, Ufology and Hauntings.
David has also studied Shamanic and magical traditions with elders from numerous cultures including Europe, Tibet, Native America, and Africa.
He has appeared on numerous radio programs including: Coast to Coast AM, Dreamland, Veritas and Darkness Radio. David was also featured in Watchers Volume 5 and on Ancient Aliens.
He is the author of "The Black Eyed Children," "Strange Intruders" and the Wood Knocks series.

Contact

Have an experience to share? I'm always interested in hearing your personal reports. Simply post in the comments section on this blog, or if it's a longer account, send it to me at: twocrowsparanormal@gmail.com. Either way, your message comes straight to me.